._.wl$aac 

X.  , 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


THE  NORTHERN  ROUTE, 


ISAAC  I.  STEVENS. 


PACIFIC  RAILROAD— NORTHERN  ROUTE. 

LETTER 


HON.  ISAAC  I.  STEVENS, 

DELEGATE  FROM  WASHINGTON  TERRITORY, 

TO  THE 


|ki(roab  (bonkntion  of  Masjnngton  anb  #rigon, 

% 


CALLED  TO  MEET  AT 


VANCOUVER,  W.  T.,  MAY  20,  1860. 


WASHINGTON  : 

THOMAS  McGILL,  PRINTER. 
1860. 


X 


. 


• 

X 


# ■ h*-c/h.  i 3.  % • 


LETTER. 


Washington  City,  April  8,  1860. 

To  the  President  of  the  Railroad  Convention  called 

to  meet  in  Vancouver , IT.  3P.,  May  20,  1860: 

# Sir  : I propose  in  this  communication  to  present  some  general 
views  in  regard  to  the  Pacific  railroad,  and  especially  to  set 
forth  the  character  of  the  northern  route.  It  has  become  now 
fixed  in  the  public  mind,  that  the  national  defence,  the  develop- 
ment of  our  interior,  the  availing  ourselves  of  our  geographical 
position  in  order  to  control  the  trade  of  Asia  and  the  Pacific, 
require  that  early  and  prompt  measures  should  be  taken  to  estab- 
lish communication  by  railroads  from  the  Mississippi  to  the 
Pacific  ocean,  lhe  entire  aspect  of  the  interior  is  most  rapidly 
changing.  The  progress  of  that  interior  within  the  last  two 
years  has  been  greater  than  its  whole  previous  progress.  The 
successful  accomplishment  of  the  overland  mail  on  the  southern 
route  is  now  throwing  a population  upon  that  route.  Pike’s 
Peak  and  the  silver  mines  of  Nevada,  in  connection  with  Utah, 
are  settling  large  areas  in  the  very  heart  of  the  central  route. 
The  interior  of  the  northern  route,  the  Walla  Walla,  Spokane, 
and  Colville  country,  have  already  large  settlements,  which 
this  very  year  will  number  many  thousand  souls.  The  opening 
of  the  navigation  of  the  Missouri  to  Fort  Benton,  and  of  the 
Columbia  and  Snake  rivers,  to  Priest’s  Rapids,  and  the  mouth  of 
the  Palouse,  in  connection  with  the  overland  wagon  road  from 
Fort  Benton  to  the  Walla  Walla,  have  established  an  easy  and 
practicable  communication  via  the  northern  route.  In  consider- 
ing this  question  I shall  not  look  to  the  present  capacities  of  the 
country  to  support  an  overland  communication,  but  shall  con- 
sider what  all  know  will  be  the  condition  of  the  country  when  these 
communications  are  completed,  and  the  roads  are  put  in  opera- 
tion. The  building  of  a Pacific  railroad  will  probably  be  a work 
of  some  years,  say  ten  years.  It  is  not  to  be  doubted  that  in 
ten  years  not  only  will  the  population  on  the  Pacific  seaboard  be 
trebled  or  quadrupled,  but  that  there  will  be  a very  large  popu- 
lation along  the  line  of  any  route  that  may  be  selected  for  the 
location  of  a railroad.  It  must  also  be  borne  in  mind  that  in  the 
case  of  more  than  one  road,  there  will  be  no  antagonism  between 
the  roads  in  reference  to  way  travel.  Each  road  will  drain  a 
very  wide  extent  of  country  bordering  upon  it — a country  at  least 


5 


4 


three  hundred  miles  in  width;  so  that  if  the  intermediate  popula- 
tion is  simply  a pastoral  one,  the  country  will,  when  thus  set- 
tled, afford  a population  to  the  running  mile  of  road  greater 
than  the  way  population  of  any  road  in  the  United  States.  The 
Pacific  railroad,  like  all  other  roads,  must  have  a great  depend- 
ence on  its  way  travel ; and  it  can  hardly  be  doubted  that  when 
a road  is  completed,  the  way  travel  will  be  very  large.  It  must 
be  borne  in  mind  also,  that  the  extraordinary  progress  of  the  in- 
terior within  the  last  two  years,  has  been  made  with  no  imme- 
diate prospect  of  a Pacific  railroad,  and  with  none  of  the  aids  of 
excitement  which  the  starting  and  commencing  of  such  an  enter- 
prise would  furnish.  If  Congress  should  adopt  a system,  and  if 
a road  or  roads  should  be  commenced,  it  will  throw  a vast  number 
of  laborers  on  the  several  routes,  and  will  lead  at  once  to  a very 
much  heavier  movement  of  our  people  upon  them.  I desire  to 
urge  the  project  of  building  three  roads  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 
It  is  manifest  that  one  route  is  unequal  to  the  public  exigencies, 
and  would  be  unjust  to  the  people  of  the  country.  If  three 
roads  are  built,  the  government  will  be  under  the  same  necessity 
of  using  the  three  roads  as  it  would  be  if  using  but  a single  road. 
Over  each  road  it  must  carry  the  mails,  and  must  transport 
troops,  supplies,  and  munitions  of  war.  If  but  one  road  is  built, 
to  wit,  over  the  central  route,  the  government  would  still  be 
obliged  to  provide  for  the  transportation  of  its  mails  over  the 
southern  route  and  the  northern  route,  and  it  would  have  to 
transport  troops  over  each  of  these  two  routes.  Any  argument, 
therefore,  based  upon  the  defence  of  the  country,  applies  with 
equal  force  to  three  as  to  one  route. 

With  these  preliminary  observations,  I will  address  myself  to 
the  immediate  object  of  this  communication.  I contend  that 
the  northern  route  is  eminently  deserving  of  the  encourage- 
ment and  the  support  of  the  government.  It  is  not  a fiction,  the 
great  vision  of  Columbus.  It  is  a fact,  that  if  we  stand  firmly 
on  oar  geographical  position,  and  show  a wise  forecast  in  the 
measures  looking  to  the  development  of  our  country,  we  will 
have  the  means  of  diverting  a large  portion  of  the  trade  of  Asia, 
and  causing  it  to  flow  through  our  own  land.  The  experience  of 
railroads  within  the  last  few  years  has  demonstrated  the  fact 
that  much  freight  will  go  on  railroads,  which  could  with  equal 
safety  and  without  deterioration  go  by  water,  when  time  can  be 
saved.  Much  of  the  cotton  for  the  New  England  factories  passes 
up  the  Mississippi,  and  is  transported  thence  by  railroad,  in 
order  to  gain  time  and  save  the  interest  on  money.  This  course 
enables  the  consumer  to  purchase  from  day  to  day,  as  he  wants 
the  article,  and  he  is  not  required  to  keep  so  large  supplies  on 
hand  as  by  the  former  mode  of  doing  the  business.  Such  will 


be  the  case  with  a vast  quantity  of  Asiatic  products.  All  their 
costly  articles,  as  silks,  the  higher  priced  furniture,  spices, 
furs,  &c.,  instead  of  making  the  circuitous  voyage  around  either 
cape,  will  be  taken  by  steamer  to  some  one  of  our  Pacific  ports, 
thence  overland  on  the  proposed  Pacific  railroad,  and  thence  to 
Europe.  This  will  especially  be  the  case  with  teas,  which  de- 
teriorate by  crossing  the  tropics,  and  then  being  kept  long  on 
shipboard.  The  teas  of  Russia,  which  are  famed  for  their  su- 
perior flavor,  are  taken  overland,  through  Siberia,  at  a vast  ex- 
pense, and  have  been  taken  in  that  wTay  for  many  years.  We 
will  then  assume,  what  wTe  think  experience  has  demonstrated, 
that  a Pacific  railroad  through  our  borders  will  have  a large  way 
population  to  sustain  it,  and  will  have  an  immense  business  in 
the  way  of  freights  in  the  merchandise  of  Asia.  It  will  also  be 
the  line  of  movement  of  population  between  Asia  and  Europe, 
as  well  as  between  these  continents  and  our  own  interior.  As  the 
channels  of  commerce  are  established,  and  greater  liberality  pre- 
vails in  the  management  of  the  affairs  of  China  and  the  other 
nations  of  Asia,  it  cannot  be  doubted  that  this  movement  of 
population,  which  will  be  hastened  all  the  time  the  road  is  being 
constructed,  will  become  a very  great  movement  by  the  time  the 
road  is  in  operation. 

Looking  to  all  these  elements  of  business — looking  to  the  pub- 
lic necessities,  and  especially  the  business  which  the  government 
will  have  to  transact,  we  will  now  consider  some  of  the  leading- 
facts  touching  the  geographical  position  and  the  natural  advan- 
tages of  the  northern  route.  This  route,  as  has  been  frequently 
observed,  seems  to  be  pointed  out  by  nature,  connecting  the  great 
inland  sea  of  Puget  Sound  with  the  great  basin  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, which  furnish  a water  line  stretching  more  than  half-way 
across  the  continent.  It  has  been  called  the  extreme  northern 
route  ; but  looking  to  this  great  basin  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  to 
the  extensive  country  between  it  and  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
watered  by  the  Upper  Mississippi,  the  Missouri,  the  Red  River 
of  the  North,  the  Saskatchawan,  and  their  several  tributaries, 
and  to  the  rapidly-developing  communities  of  British  Columbia 
and  Vancouver’s  Island  north  of  our  parallel,  and  of  the  State  of 
Oregon  and  the  Territory  of  Washington  south  of  the  parallel, — 
it  is  a route  central  to  a vast  scope  of  country  fitted  to  be  the 
abode  of  civilized  man,  and  which  is  most  rapidly  rising  in  im- 
portance. Puget  Sound,  by  which  designation  is  included  the 
whole  body  of  waters  flowing  into  the  ocean  at  the  Straits  de 
Fuca,  is  an  inland  sea  equal  in  extent  and  length  of  shore  line 
to  the  Mediterranean, — infinitely  surpasses  the  Mediterranean 
in  the  safety  of  its  navigation,  in  the  number,  capacity,  and 
security  of  its  harbors,  and,  equally  with  the  Mediterranean,  hav- 


6 


ing  obstructions  neither  from  ice  nor  from  dense  and  dangerous 
fogs.  These  waters,  in  connection  with  those  of  the  Columbia 
and  the  main  coast  of  the  Pacific  ocean  north  of  the  Columbia, 
and  the  adjacent  country,  are  a second  New  England,  having 
all  the  elements  for  a great  variety  of  pursuits,  and  for  a large 
and  extensive  commerce.  On  the  coast  there  are  cod  fisheries 
equal  to  the  best  fisheries  on  the  northeast  coast ; there  is  the 
greatest  abundance  of  salmon  and  halibut ; the  whaling  business 
could  also  be  prosecuted  with  great  success  from  these  regions. 
There  is  coal  on  Puget  Sound  acknowledged  now  to  be  the  best 
on  the  coast,  and  which  will  probably  be  suitable  for  the  purposes 
of  ocean  navigation  by  steamers.  But  our  lumber  business  ad- 
mits of  a development  greater  than  that  of  any  other  portion  of  the 
country  or  of  the  known  world.  On  the  sound  alone,  we  now 
manufacture  one  hundred  millions  a year,  and  we  send  more  than 
half  of  this  to  foreign  ports.  We  have  a large  business  in  spars 
and  piles ; we  manufacture  shingles  and  laths  ; and  this  business 
must  very  rapidly  increase.  We  have  foundries  and  ship-yards; 
we  are  building  steamers  and  sailing  vessels  of  considerable  size, 
and  craft  of  all  descriptions,  down  to  the  ordinary  sailing,  or  row 
boat.  We  have  large  manufacturing  advantages.  Our  country 
is  a most  excellent  grazing  and  agricultural  country.  With  all 
these  various  advantages,  therefore,  west  of  the  Cascade  moun- 
tains— commercial,  manufacturing,  agricultural,  &c. — we  shall 
have  to  seek  the  markets  of  the  Pacific  in  order  to  give  proper 
scope  to  our  enterprise  and  industry.  If  w~e  consider  the  inte- 
rior of  Washington  and  Oregon, we  find  that  experience  has  demon- 
strated what  has  heretofore  been  confidently  predicted,  that 
there  is  a very  great  extent  not  only  of  fine  grazing  but  fine 
arable  land ; and  the  settlements  which  have  sprung  up  within 
the  last  year  in  the  Walla  Walla,  the  Spokane,  and  the  Colville 
country,  to  which  allusion  has  already  been  made,  and  the  excel- 
lent character  of  the  intermediate  country,  must  satisfy  all  per- 
sons that  a large  population  will  occupy  that  region,  even  before 
the  necessary  surveys  could  be  made  to  locate  a Pacific  railroad 
through  it. 

British  Columbia  has  become  a fixed  fact.  The  products  of 
its  mines  are  steadily  increasing.  Roads  and  communications 
are  being  established,  connecting  the  interior  of  British  Colum-. 
bia  with  the  coast.  Even  during  the  past  winter,  the  yield  of 
gold  has  been  steadily  going  on. 

It  has  been  ascertained  by  exploration,  that  there  is  a very 
extensive  gold  region  east  of  the  Cascades,  in  Washington  Terri- 
tory, and  exceedingly  rich  deposits  have  been  actually  worked 
on  the  Similkaraeen  and  are  known  to  exist  in  other  localities. 
The  prospecting  operations  of  the  present  year  will  unquestion- 


i 


ably  develop  the  capacity  of  the  country  in  its  remunerating 
gold  mines,  and  the  survey  of  the  boundary  will  also  furnish  some 
accurate  information  in  regard  to  the  silver,  copper,  quicksilver, 
platinum,  lead,  and  sulphur  known  to  exist  along  and  south  of  the 
49th  parallel.  The  formation  of  this  portion  of  the  territory  is 
similar  to  that  of  British  Columbia,  and  the  development  of 
their  mineral  wealth  will  go  on  together. 

Thus  we  find  on  the  northwest  a great  inland  sea,  unsurpassed 
on  the  shores  of  all  the  oceans  for  the  purposes  of  commerce, 
lending  itself  to  the  development  both  of  these  United  States 
and  of  British  America.  What  is  the  position  of  this  great  in- 
land sea  to  Asia  ? If  we  look  on  the  map,  we  will  ascertain 
that  it  is  the  nearest  point  on  our  whole  Pacific  coast  to  the  ports 
of  Asia  ; but  looking  to  the  prevailing  winds,  it  will  be  seen 
that  it  is  nearer  than  San  Francisco  by  the  entire  distance  coast- 
ward between  San  Francisco  and  Puget  Sound;  for  the  pre- 
vailing winds  are  such,  that  vessels  coming  from  Asia  have  to 
make  our  coast  near  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  de  Fuca,  and 
proceed  thence  to  San  Francisco.  Is  it  objected,  or  is  it  urged 
that  San  Francisco  is  the  great  commercial  centre,  and  must  for 
all  time  to  come  be  the  great  commercial  entrepot  of  the  Pacific, 
and  that  having  the  start  of  Puget  Sound,  no  point  on  its 
waters  can  ever  rise  into  importance  ? What  is  the  history  of 
that  Mediterranean  to  which  we  have  compared  it  ? How  many 
cities  on  its  shores  have  risen  and  fallen,  and  given  place  to  other 
cities,  for  century  after  century ! And  after  the  cities  of  the 
olden  time  had  fallen  into  decay,  people  of  enterprise  founded  a 
great  city  in  a marsh,  and  made  it  the  commercial  mistress  of  the 
world  ; and  that  city  has  now  in  its  turn  given  place  to  other 
cities.  What  is  the  experience  of  our  own  Atlantic  seaboard  ? 
Was  New  York  always  the  great  metropolis  of  the  Atlantic? 
Time  was  when  Newport,  in  Rhode  Island,  was  the  commercial 
mistress  of  our  thirteen  colonies  ; and  New  York  did  not  become 
first  until  after  a struggle  of  more  than  a hundred  years.  But 
have  we  simply  New  York  on  our  Atlantic  seaboard?  Where 
are  Portland,  and  Boston,  and  Philadelphia,  and  Baltimore,  and 
Norfolk,  and  Charleston,  and  Savannah — all  commercial  centres, 
and  more  than  half  of  them  larger  at  this  present  day  than  the 
city  of  San  Francisco  ? Show  me  a spot  that  Nature  has  pointed 
%out  as  fitted  for  the  seat  of  commerce,  and  I will  show  you  a 
point  where  the  enterprise  of  the  American  people  will  found  a 
great  city,  and  establish  a great  commerce.  It  is  simply  a ques- 
tion of  time.  It  is  true  that  San  Francisco  occupies  a more  cen- 
tral position  in  regard  to  our  territorial  domain  on  the  Pacific 
coast  than  Puget  Sound.  It  is  true  that  San  Francisco  is  the 
centre  of  a much  greater  local  population  at  the  present  time  ; 


8 


but  as  regards  the  great  carrying  trade  across  the  continent — 
one  of  the  largest  elements  in  maintaining  a Pacific  railroad — I 
am  prepared  to  show  that  Puget  Sound  presents  the  greatest 
advantages,  and  is  the  most  central.  The  following  table*  will 
show  the  distances  from  Puget  Sound  to  the  head  of  Lake 
Superior,  to  St.  Paul,  and  to  the  principal  cities  on  the  Atlantic 
and  Gulf  coasts ; and  also  the  distances  of  these  same  points 
from  San  Francisco  by  the  central  route  : 


Seattle,  via 

[Benicia,  via 

Differences 

St.  Paul. 

1 St.  Louis. 

in  favor  of 

nor’n  route. 

St.  Paul 

1.764 

! 

1 

Lake  Superior  __  _ _ - 

1,750 

Chicago  — 

2,164/ 

2,738 
2,481  a 

317 

Portland-  -------  - - - - 

8,249  1 

3,831 

582 

Boston-  - - - . --  . 

3,352 

3,696 

344 

New  York  - __  — 

3,126 

3,546 

420 

Philadelphia - - 

2,988 

3,454 

466 

Baltimore  - - - — - 

2,966 

3,355 

389 

Washington--  - — - 

3,004 

3,375 

371 

Charleston  -.  - 

3,328 

3,445 

117 

Savannah  - - - - - 

3,313 

3,430 

117 

Mobile — - - - 

3,030 

3,147 

117 

New  Orleans-  

3,115 

3,232 

117 

Averages — — 

3,131.1 

3,453.1 

a Via  Rock  Island. 


The  distance  from  Benicia  to  St.  Louis  is  2,482  miles. 

Thus  the  average  distance  from  Seattle,  via  St.  Paul,  to  the 
principal  ports  of  the  Atlantic  and  gulf,  is  316  miles  less  than 
the  average  from  Benicia  via  St.  Louis  to  the  same  points.  This 
saving  of  distance  via  St.  Paul  ranges  from  117  miles,  as  in 
the  case  of  New  Orleans,  to  582  miles,  as  in  the  case  of  Portland. 

The  following  table*  shows  that  the  distances  from  San  Fran- 
cisco to  Atlantic  ports  are  much  greater  on  the  central  than  on 
the  southern  route  : 


* Roads  either  constructed  or  in  process  of  construction  have  been  used  to 
construct  these  tables.  See  Appendix  to  Address  on  the  Northwest  for  the 
distances  in  detail. 


9 


ATLANTIC  PORTS. 

Central  route. 
Benecia  -via 
St.  Louis. 

SoutlVn  route. 
San  Francis- 
co via  32d 
parallel. 

Differences  in 
favor  of  sou’n 
route. 

Portland 

3,831 

3,696 

3,516 

3,454 

3,355 

3,375 

3,445 

3,430 

3,661 

3,554 

3,359 

3,272 

3,174 

3,136 

2,974 

2,959 

170 

Boston 

142 

New  York 

187 

Philadelphia 

182 

Baltimore 

181 

Washington 

239 

Charleston 

471 

Sa.vanna.h 

471 

Thus,  the  distances  to  Atlantic  ports  via  the  southern  route, 
are  142  to  471  miles  less  than  by  the  central  route.  The  dis- 
tances on  the  northern  route  average  ninety  miles  less  than  on 
the  southern  route. 

If  equated  distances  are  compared,  the  differences  in  favor  of 
the  northern  over  the  central  route  will  be  increased  137  miles, 
and  over  the  southern  route  31 0 miles.  And  the  average  dis- 
tance via  the  northern  route  to  Atlantic  ports  will  be  483  miles 
less  than  by  the  central  route,  and  400  miles  less  than  by  the 
southern  route. 

These  water  lines  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  the  great  lakes 
are  controlling  facts  in  the  location  of  a continental  railroad. 
Both  the  northern  and  southern  routes  combine  the  advan- 
tages of  a much  shorter  railroad  connection  with  the  great  ports 
of  the  Atlantic  and  Gulf,  and  of  striking  their  respective  water 
lines  at  much  less  distances  than  the  central  route.  Thus,  the 
great  lakes  are  struck  on  the  northern  route  at  more  than  seven 
hundred  miles  less  distance  than  by  the  central  route.  Thus, 
whether  the  transportation  from  the  Pacific  to  Atlantic  ports  be 
entirely  by  rail,  or  wdiether  partly  by  water  and  partly  by  rail, 
(and  it  will  unquestionably  go  both  ways,)  or  whether  the  over- 
land transportation  to  Europe  strikes  these  water  lines  at  once, 
and  thence  is  had  on  shipboard  direct  to  Europe,  or,  using  the 
rail  the  whole  distance  to  some  Atlantic  port,  the  shipment  is 
thence  made  to  Europe,  in  all  the  cases  the  advantage  in  the  way 
of  freight  is  invariably  against  the  central  route. 

These  facts  show  that  not  only  is  Puget  Sound  nearer  to  Asia 
than  is  San  Francisco,  but  that  the  overland  distances  to  the 
principal  cities  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  especially  the  great  lakes, 
is  much  less  than  the  distances  from  San  Francisco  to  these  same 
points  either  by  the  central  or  southern  route.  Then  it  is  obvious 


10 


that  the  whole  trade  of  Asia  which  passes  over  our  continent  to 
Europe  must  go  by  the  northern  route.  But  this  is  not  the  full 
extent  of  the  superiority  of  the  northern  route.  On  that  route  the 
grades  are  easier  than  on  ally  other  route  ; and  the  grade  is  one 
of  the  controlling  elements  in  the  cost  of  carrying  freight.  The 
cost  of  carrying  freight  on  railroads  varies  from  one-lialf  a cent 
to  two  and  a-half  cents  per  ton  per  mile.  Where  a heavy  business 
is  done,  and  the  grades  are  light,  the  cost  has  been  as  low  as 
one-half  a cent  per  ton  per  mile  ; but  where  grades  are  high,  the 
cost  will  very  rapidly  increase,  even  in  some  cases  as  high  as  2J 
cents  per  ton  per  mile. 

Nearly  the  whole  of  the  country  on  the  northern  route  is 
susceptible  of  continuous  occupancy  by  our  people.  There  is 
no  such  thing  as  as  a desert,  properly  so  speaking,  on  the 
entire  route.  There  are  gaps  or  intervals,  where  it  is  simply 
a grazing  country.  There  are  portions  of  the  country  occu- 
pied by  mountain  ranges,  which  would  not  admit  of  profitable 
cultivation  ; but  as  a whole,  the  country  is  fitted  for  settle- 
ment and  occupation,  and  must  be  settled  and  occupied  at  an 
early  day.  Or,  to  go  more  into  details  : From  Breckenridge,  on 
the  Red  river  of  the  north,  to  the  Divide  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains, the  route  passes  through  strictly  a cultivable  country, 
capable  of  continuous  settlement  except  for  about  150  miles,  in 
three  several  sections  of  about  equal  lengths.  On  this  portion 
you  can  plant  agricultural  settlements,  at  points  sufficient  for 
railroad  or  mail  stations.  From  near  the  Divide  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  the  country  is  capable  of  continuous  settlement  to  within 
twenty  miles  of  the  Divide  of  the  Bitter  Root  mountains.  The 
eastern  half  of  the  great  plain  of  the  Columbia,  the  northern  and 
the  southern  portions,  consist  of  rich  river  valleys  and  fertile  table- 
lands. A portion  of  the  western  half  will  not  furnish  arable  land 
for  continuous  settlements.  Between  the  Columbia  and  the  Cas- 
cade mountains,  the  line  is  flanked  on  the  south  by  a large  body 
of  fertile  land,  and  passes  immediately  through  a fine  grass 
country,  and  for  at  least  half  the  distance  through  an  excellent 
cultivable  country.  From  the  Cascade  mountains  to  the  Sound, 
the  line  passes  through  a continuously  cultivable  country.  The 
whole  intermediate  country  between  the  headwaters  of  the  Mis- 
souri and  the  great  plain  of  the  Columbia  admits  of  continuous 
settlement,  except  about  forty  miles  on  the  highest  part  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  and  thirty  miles  in  the  highest  part  of  the 
Bitter  Root  mountains. 

The  railroad  line  could  be  laid  over  the  great  plain  of  the  Co- 
lumbia so  as  to  pass  over  a continuous  cultivable  country  to  the 
Columbia,  except  for  a few  miles  ; but  to  cross  north  of  the  mouth 
of  the  Snake  river,  which  is  desirable  to  avoid  detour,  it  will  pass 


11 


over  about  fifty  miles  of  country  not  adapted  to  continuous  cul- 
tivation. There  are  about  fifty  miles  of  uncultivable  country  be- 
tween the  main  Columbia  and  Puget’s  Sound.  Thus,  in  the 
whole  distance  from  Breckenridge  to  Seattle,  a distance  of 
1,541-  miles,  the  route  passes  through  only  about  820  miles  of 
uncultivable  country.  East  of  Breckenridge,  to  St.  Paul  and 
Lake  Superior,  the  country  is  exceedingly  rich,  and  inviting  to 
the  settler. 

These  views  of  the  country,  and  which  I have  presented  in 
my  official  reports,  are  being  amply  confirmed  by  experience  ; 
and  the  analyses  of  the  soils  procured  by  the  recent  geological 
examination  of  this  country  by  Dr.  Evans  have  demonstrated 
that  it  has  all  the  elements  required  for  crops.  Indeed,  generally 
speaking,  there  is  an  unusual  quantity  of  fertilizing  materials  in 
the  soil.  On  the  upper  waters  of  Snake  river  the  formation  is 
trap  and  basalt,  and  the  soil  is  sterile  and  unfit  for  cultivation  ; 
but  north  of  Snake  river,  in  the  parallels  of  the  region  whose 
waters  flow  into  Clarke’s  Fork,  there  is  limestone  on  both  sides 
of  the  Rocky  mountains,  and  westward,  nearly  to  the  great  bend 
of  the  Columbia.  The  general  character  of  the  Flathead  coun- 
try, and  the  extraordinary  change  which  takes  place  in  passing 
from  the  northern  route  to  Snake  river,  some  two  hundred  miles 
distant,  is  shown  in  the  -following  extracts  from  Lieut.  Mullan’s 
report : 

“ The  valley  and  mountain  slopes  are  well  timbered  with  an  excellent  growth 
of  pine,  which  is  equal  in  every  respect  to  the  well  known  and  noted  pine  of 
•Oregon.  The  advantages,  therefore,  possessed  by  this  section,  are  of  great 
importance,  and  offer  peculiar  inducements  to  the  settler.  Its  valley  is  not  only 
capable  of  grazing  immense  bands  of  stock  of  every  kind,  but  is  also  capable  of 
supporting  a dense  population.  The  mountain  slopes  on  either  side  of  the 
valley  and  the  land  along  the  base  of  the  mountains  afford  at  all  seasons,  even 
during  the  most  severe  winters,  grazing  ground  in  abundance,  while  the  moun- 
tains are  covered  with  a beautiful  growth  of  pine.  The  provisions  of  nature 
here  are,  therefore,  on  no  small  scale,  and  of  no  small  importance  ; and  let 
those  who  have  imagined — and  some  have  been  so  bold  as  to  say  it — that  there 
exists  only  one  immense  bed  of  mountains  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Missouri 
to  the  Cascade  range,  turn  their  attention  to  this  section,  and  let  them  contem- 
plate its  advantages  and  resources,  and  ask  themselves,  since  these  things  exist, 
can  it  be  long  before  public  attention  shall  be  attracted  and  fastened  upon  this 
hitherto  unknown  and  neglected  region  ? Can  it  be  that  we  should  have  so 
near  our  Pacific  coast  a section  of  country  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  acres 
that  will  remain  forever  untilled,  uncultivated,  totally  neglected?  It  cannot  be. 
But  let  a connexion,  and  that  the  most  direct,  be  made  between  the  main  chain 
of  the  Rocky  mountains  and  the  Pacific — and  it  can  be  done — and  soon  will 
these  advantages  necessarily  thrust  themselves  upon  public  attention,  and  open 
to  the  industrious  and  persevering  avenues  to  wealth  and  power.  Again,  this 
section  connects  with  another  of  equal,  if  not  superior,  importance,  that  of  the 
Ccenr  d’Alene  country,  which  again  connects  directly,  by  a beautiful  section, 
with  the  country  at  and  near  Walla  Walla;  thus  showing  that  from  the  main 
chain  of  the  Rocky  mountains  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  we  possess  a rich, 
fertile,  and  productive  area,  that  needs  but  the  proper  means  and  measures  to 
be  put  forth,  and  manfully  employed,  to  be  turned  to  private  and  public  bene- 
fit.” * * * *****  * 


“Looking  back  upon  our  route,  we  saw  we  had  followed  Bitter  Root  river  to 
its  head,  which  we  found  from  its  mouth  to  be  ninety  five  miles  long,  flowing 
through  a wide  and  beautiful  valley,  whose  soil  is  fertile  and  productive,  well 
timbered  with  the  pine  and  cotton-wood,  but,  whose  chief  characteristic  and 
capability  is  that  of  grazing  large  herds  of  cattle,  and  affording  excellent  mill 
sites  along  the  numerous  streams  flowing  from  the  mountains.  The  country 
thence  is  watered  by  tributaries  to  the  Missouri  and  its  forks,  to  the  range  of 
mountains  separating  these  waters  from  those  of  the  Snake  river,  or  the  south 
branch  of  Lewis’  fork  of  the  Columbia,  and  is  also  fertile,  but  its  characteristic 
feature  is  the  great  scarcity  of  timber  for  any  purpose,  the  willow  and  wild 
sage  being  used  for  fuel  along  the  whole  route.  The  geological  formation  of 
this  section  belongs  to  the  tertiary  period.  The  capability  of  this  broad  area, 
however,  for  grazing,  is  excellent.  It  is  a great  resort  at  present  for  all  Indi- 
ans in  the  mountains,  the  mountains  and  valleys  affording  a great  abundance  of 
game,  consisting  of  elk,  bear,  deer,  and  antelope,  while  the  numerous  rivers 
and  streams  abound  in  fish  and  beaver.  The  latter  are  still  caught  in  large 
numbers  on  the  head  waters  and  tributaries  of  the  Missouri,  but  are  not  so 
anxiously  sought  after  as  years  back,  owing  to  the  great  depreciation  of  value 
in  the  market  east.  The  whole  country  is  formed  of  a series  of  beds  of  moun- 
tainous ranges  or  ridges,  with  their  intervening  valleys,  all  of  which  are  well 
defined  and  marked,  the  decomposition  and  washings  of  the  rocks  of  the  moun- 
tains giving  character  to  the  soil  of  the  valleys,  which  may  be  termed,  as  a 
general  thing,  fertile.  The  geological  formations  along  the  Jefferson  fork  and 
its  principal  tributaries  are  limestone  and  conglomerate  rock.  From  the  range 
called  the  Snake  River  divide,  the  whole  character  of  the  country  is  completely 
changed.  Here  the  geological  formation  is  basaltic  and  volcanic  principally. 
None  of  the  numerous  streams  and  rivulets  flowing  from  the  mountains  along 
the  route  we  traveled  emptied  into  the  Snake  river,  but  either  sunk  into  the 
ground,  or  formed  small  lakes  in  the  broad  valley  of  Snake  river.  The  ground 
in  most  places  is  formed  principally  of  sand  ; and  where  large  beds  of  basalt 
are  not  found,  the  ground  is  of  a dry,  absorbing  nature,  through  which  the 
water  sinks,  at  times  bursting  out  again.  It  was  somewhat  singular,  that  for 
sixty  miles  above  Fort  Hall,  along  the  main  stream  of  Snake  river,  we  did  not 
cross  but  one  tributary,  and  that  coming  in  from  the  south,  while  none  came  in 
from  the  north;  all  of  the  streams,  as  before  mentioned,  either  forming  lakes 
or  sinking  into  the  ground.  This  section  is  also  noted  for  the  great  scarcity  of 
timber,  and  the  immense  plains  of  wild  sage;  which  is  so  abundant,  that  it 
merits  the  name  of  the  sage  desert  of  the  mountains.  It  extends  for  many 
miles  in  length  and  breadth,  forming  an  immense  ocean  of  prairie  whose  same- 
ness is  only  broken  by  the  ‘ Three  Buttes’  of  the  valley,  which  rise  like  islands 
in  the  sea  in  this  broad  and  barren  area.  Its  whole  character  might  be  in- 
cluded in  the  word  sterility.” 

Experience,  moreover,  has  shown  that  there  is  moisture  enough 
for  profitable  tillage.  The  crops  that  have  been  raised  about 
the  Dalles,  at  the  Walla  Walla,  in  the  Nez  Perces  country,  on 
the  Spokane,  at  Colville,  in  the  Bitter  Root  valley,  on  the  Jocko, 
on  Sun  river,  at  Fort  Benton,  and  at  Fort  Union,  show  that 
there  is  ample  rain  for  moisture  to  insure  a certain  crop.  I will 
refer  gentlemen  interested  in  this  matter  to  my  report  for  a mi- 
nute description  of  this  country  in  this  respect,  and  especially 
to  the  forthcoming  report  of  Dr.  Evans,  which  will  be  found  to 
be  exceedingly  interesting  and  instructive : but,  before  leaving 
this  subject,  I desire  to  say  that  Northern  Nebraska  is  fully 
equal,  and  Washington  Territory  is  much  superior,  to  certain 
provinces  in  Southern  Russia,  with  which  they  may  be  com- 


13 


pared.  These  provinces,  or  governments,  are  Bessarabia,  Kher- 
son, Ekatherinoslaw,  Taurido,  (Crimea,)  Stavropol,  (Caucasia,) 
Astrakhan,  and  the  country  of  the  Don  Cossacks,  and  they  ex- 
tend from  the  mouth  of  the  Danube  along  the  shores  of  the  Black 
sea,  the  sea  of  Asov,  and  across  the  lower  parts  of  the  Don, 
the  Volga,  and  the  Ural  into  the  plains  of  Central  Asia.  These 
all  lie  between  latitude  49°  and  the  Black  sea,  excepting  Stav- 
ropol and  Astrakhan,  which  extend  south  between  it  and  the 
Caspian  sea,  latitude,  44°. 

In  1851,  including  the  government  of  Koursk,  which  lies 
north  of  latitude  49°,  the  population  of  this  region,  containing 
an  area  of  262,000  square  miles,  ranged  from  98  souls  to  the 
square  mile  as  in  the  government  of  Koursk,  through  the  inter- 
mediate numbers  of  4.98,  (Bessarabia,)  38.8,  (Ekatherinoslaw',) 
32,  (Kherson,)  26.6,  (Taurido,)  17.6,  (Stavropol,)  17.6,  (Don  Cos- 
sacks,) down  to  8.8  in  the  government  of  Astrakhan.  Five  of 
these  provinces  produce  more  grain  than  they  consume — the 
export  of  wheat  being  18,000,000  bushels, — two  sufficient  for 
home  consumption,  and  Astrakhan  only  imports  it.  The  average 
return  for  the  same  province  is  six  times  the  amount  of  seed 
sowTn,  while  for  the  w7hole  empire  it  is  only  four. 

In  1847,  over  two  million  bushels  of  potatoes  were  raised  in 
the  five  provinces  bordering  on  the  Black  sea.  Beet  root  sugar 
is  an  important  product.  Large  quantities  of  wine  are  manu- 
factured, and  large  quantities  of  fruit  are  produced.  Tobacco 
is  grown  to  a considerable  extent.  In  this  region  are  over  two 
millions  of  horses,  and  nearly  five  millions  of  cattle  and  twelve 
millions  of  sheep. 

These  provinces  are  in  fact  the  most  productive  portion  of 
Russia  in  Europe.  Yet  Nebraska  will  compare  favorably  with 
them  in  temperature,  amount  of  moisture  precipitated,  the  con- 
stituents of  the  soil,  and  general  geographical  position.  Both 
regions  are  mainly  regions  of  prairie,  and  large  portions  of  each 
are  destitute  of  wood.  The  comparison,  howrever,  in  all  these 
respects  is  in  favor  of  Nebraska,  and  yet  the  population  of  the 
province  Koursh  is  much  denser  than  that  of  any  of  our  best 
agricultural  States  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  the  average 
of  the  six  provinces  exceed  the  average  of  the  Mississippi  river 
States,  and  the  population  is  rapidly  increasing  by  immigration 
from  the  more  northern  regions  of  Russia. 

But  the  comparison  between  southern  Russia  and  Washington 
Territory  is  greatly  in  favor  of  the  latter.  The  climate  is  much 
milder  than  in  Southern  Russia,  and  more  moisture  is  deposited. 
Indeed,  the  climate  of  Washington  is  superior  to  that  of  any  part 
of  western  New  York,  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  or  Minnesota.  The 
greater  part  of  eastern  and  northern  central  Washington  is 


14 


wooded,  the  forest  growth  being  large,  with  frequently  a luxu- 
rious  undergrowth. 

I beg  leave  to  quote  the  following  from  Lewis  and  Clarke’s 
narrative,  as  descriptive  of  the  country  lying  under  and  to  the 
westward  of  the  Bitter-Root  Mountains.  1 have  passed  over 
this  country  in  several  directions,  and  know  their  description  to- 
be  accurate: 

When  encamped  in  the  Kookooskja  valley  on  May  IT,  1805, 
they  say  : 

“ The  country  along  the  Rocky  mountains  for  several  hundred  miles  in  length, 
and  about  fifty  wide,  is  a high  level  plain,  in  all  its  parts  extremely  fertile, 
and  in  many  places  covered  with  a growth  of  tall,  long-leaved  pine.  This  plain 
is  chiefly  interrupted  near  the  streams  of  water,  where  the  hills  are  steep  and 
lofty,  but  the  soil  is  good,  being  unincumbered  by  much  stone,  and  possesses 
more  timber  than  the  level  country.  Under  shelter  of  these  hills  the  bottom 
lands  skirt  the  margin  of  the  rivers,  and  though  narrow  and  confined,  are  still 
fertile  and  rarely  inundated.  Nearly  the  whole  of  this  wide-spread  tract  is 
covered  with  a profusion  of  grass  and  plants  which  are  at  this  time  as  high  as 
the  knees.  Among  these  are  a variety  of  esculent  roots,  acquired  without  much 
difficulty,  and  yielding  not  only  a nutritious,  but  a very  agreeable  food.  The 
air  is  pure  and  dry,  the  climate  quite  as  mild  if  not  milder  than  the  same  par- 
allel of  latitude  in  the  Atlantic  States,  and  must  be  equally  healthy,  for  all  the 
disorders  which  we  have  witnessed  may  fairly  be  imputed  more  to  the  nature  of 
the  diet  than  to  any  intemperance  of  climate.” 

Proceeding  eastward  they  reached  one  of  the  Kamas  prairies 
on  the  Kookooskia,  within  the  spurs  of  the  Bitter  Root  moun- 
tains. There  they  encamped  in  a point  of  woods  bordering  the 
extensive  level  and  beautiful  prairie;  and  as  the  kamas  was  in 
blossom,  it  being  the  10th  of  June,  the  surface  presented  a per- 
fect resemblance  to  a lake  of  clear  blue  water.  The  country, 
though  hilly  around  them,  "was  generally  free  from  stone,  ex- 
tremely fertile,  and  well  supplied  with  timber,  consisting  of 
several  species  of  fir,  pine,  and  birch. 

Another  advantage  of  the  northern  route  is,  that  it  can  be 
worked  in  a greater  number  of  sections  than  any  other  route.  In 
my  railroad  report  of  1854,  I gave  a scheme,  and  presented  a 
programme  for  building  this  road,  which  proposed  making  use  of 
the  waters  of  the  Columbia  and  Missouri,  for  transporting  the 
workmen,  and  tools,  and  materials  of  all  kinds,  and  organizing 
the  work  in  corresponding  divisions.  One  would  be  from  Puget 
Sound  and  from  Vancouver  to  the  point  where  the  railroad  line 
crosses  the  Columbia,  another  from  this  point  to  the  head  of 
navigation  at  Fort  Benton,  a third  from  Fort  Benton  to  Fort 
Union,  another  to  St.  Paul,  and  the  western  end  of  Lake  Su- 
perior. 

Thus  the  route  can  be  thrown  into  four  divisions,  on  each  of 
which  the  work  can  be  commenced  at  both  ends,  so  that  eight 
sections  may  be  worked  at  a time,  affording  extraordinary  facili- 


15 


ties  to  hasten  the  construction  of  the  road.  The  most  difficult 
of  these  divisions,  the  one  between  the  Colufnbia  and  Missouri, 
could  be  attacked  almost  as  soon,  within  two  or  three  months,  as 
those  lying  on  the  Pacific  or  great  lakes.  It  is  not  necessary  to 
wait  till  the  tunneling  is  done  on  the  route,  as,  to  establish  a 
thorough  communication  for  the  nonce,  the  system  of  zigzags, 
by  which  the  Alleghanies  are  scaled  in  Pennsylvania,  can  be 
adopted. 

It  is  objected  to  the  northern  route  that  it  involves  excessive 
tunneling.  This  is  not  necessarily  the  case.  The  northern  road 
can  be  located  with  little  or  no  tunneling,  but  at  a very  great 
increase  of  distance. 

Lieut.  Mullan  reports  that,  by  his  wagon  pass  (Mullan’s  or 
Little  Blackfeet  Pass)  a railroad  can  be  laid  across  the  Rocky 
mountains  with  only  a cut  one  hundred  feet  deep  through  the 
Divide,  which  is  but  half  a measured  mile  from  base  to  base,  and 
that  no  excessive  grades  will  be  required  on  the  eastern  approach. 
The  descent  down  the  valley  of  the  Little  Blackfeet  and  Hell- 
Gate  is  exceedingly  favorable.  Thus,  a line  can  be  laid  down  from 
the  Mississippi  to  Olympia,  on  Puget  Sound,  with  but  short  and 
few  tunnels,  but  which  will  be  two  hundred  and  seventy-six  miles 
longer  than  the  route  by  Cadotte’s,  the  Ooeur  d’Aldne  or  Stevens’ 
and  the  Snoqualmoo  Passes  to  Seattle.  We  cross  the  Rocky 
mountains  by  the  northern  Little  Blackfoot  or  Mullan’s  Pass, 
then  follow  down  the  Little  Blackfoot  and  Hell-Gate  valleys, 
cross  over  the  Jocko  divide  to  Hell-Gate,  follow  down  Clark’s 
fork  to  below*  the  Pend  d’Oreille  lake,  cross  over  to  the  Spokane, 
and,  finally,  after  passing  over  the  great  plain  of  the  Columbia, 
follow  down  the  Columbia  valley  to  near  the  mouth  of  the  Cow- 
litz, and  reach  the  Sound  by  the  easy  and  practicable  line  of  the 
Cowlitz  and  intermediate  country.  If,  instead  of  a cut  of  half  a 
mile  through  Mullan’s  Pass,  this  distance  should  have  to  be  tun- 
neled, the  only  remaining  tunnels  wfill  be  at  the  Cabinet,  three 
hundred  yards  in  length,  fifty  per  cent,  in  basaltic  trap,  and 
Cape  Horn,  seven  hundred  feet  in  length.  By  this  route  the 
distance  to  Olympia  from  St.  Paul  will  be  two  thousand  and 
forty  miles,  against  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  sixty-four 
miles,  the  distance  to  Seattle  by  the  route  of  the  .tunnels. 

From  the  great  plain  of  the  Columbia,  the  distance,  via  the 
Snoqualmoo  Pass  to  Seattle,  is  155  miles  less  than  by  the  Co- 
lumbia and  Cowlitz  rivers. 

In  both  my  preliminary  report  of  1854  and  my  final  report 
of  1859,  I recommended  that  from  some  point  in  the  general 
vicinity  of  the  mouth  of  Snake  river  there  should  be  two 
branches — one  to  Seattle,  on  Puget  Sound,  across  the  Snoqualmoo 
Pass,  and  the  other  down  the  Columbia  river  to  Vancouver.  In 


16 


justice  to  myself,  I will  state  that,  in  my  reports  to  the  War 
Department,  at  Fort  Benton,  in  September,  1853,  I took  it  for 
granted  that  the  route  down  the  Columbia  river  was  practicable, 
and  that  after  making  a personal  examination  of  it  myself,  I ac- 
tually reported  it  as  practicable  on  the  19th  of  December,  1853. 
I considered  it  probably  practicable  before  I left  the  city  of  Wash- 
ington to  commence  the  survey  of  the  northern  route. 

To  make  the  route  a cheap  and  practicable  freight  route,  it  is 
essential  to  diminish  both  the  length  of  the  line  and  the  gra- 
dients as  much  as  possible.  To  effect  this,  a very  considerable 
increase  of  expense  might  be  incurred,  provided  the  interest  on 
the  increased  cost  did  not  exceed  the  saving  in  the  expense  of 
running  the  line. 

For  this  reason  especially,  I have  urged  a direct  connexion 
with  Puget  Sound  via  the  Snoqualmoo  Pass ; for  the  superiority 
of  the  route  within  our  own  borders  over  that  in  the  British  pos- 
sessions may  be  lost  if  Puget  Sound  be  reached  by  the  circuitous 
route  of  the  Columbia  and  Cowlitz  rivers. 

This  plan  will  accommodate  both  Oregon  and  Washington, 
and  will  insure  an  extension  of  the  Columbia  river  branch  via 
the  Willamette  and  Sacramento  valleys  to  San  Francisco.  The 
connexion,  moreover,  with  the  several  railroad  systems  of  the 
States,  not  included  in  the  St.  Lawence  Basin,  and  the  great  navi- 
gable rivers  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  will  be  as  short  as  a connec- 
tion by  the  Snake  river  route.  For  the  distance  from  Seattle  and 
Vancouver  to  Chicago  by  the  northern  route,  is  2,154  and  2,147 
miles  against  2,364  miles,  the  distance  from  Vancouver  to  Chicago 
by  the  South  Pass  and  Bock  Island,  and  against  2,182  miles,  the 
distance  from  Vancouver  to  Rock  Island.  But  if  the  equated 
distances  be  compared,  the  result  will  be  still  more  in  favor  of 
the  northern  route.  A ton  of  freight  can  be  delivered  at  Chicago 
by  the  northern  route  for  a less  sum  than  it  can  be  delivered  at 
Rock  Island,  on  the  Mississippi  river,  by  the  South  Pass  route. 
Indeed,  a comparison  of  the  equated  distances,  the  practical  com- 
parison invariably  instituted  by  practical  men,  shows  that  a ton 
of  freight  can  be  taken  either  from  Seattle  or  Vancouver,  over  the 
northern  route  to  St.  Paul,  be  placed  on  a steamer  and  delivered 
not  only  at  Rock  Island  or  St.  Louis  at  less  cost  than  it  can  be 
delivered  at  either  of  these  points  by  the  route  of  the  South  Pass, 
but  it  can  descend  the  Mississippi  and  be  delivered  at  any  point 
thence  to  New  Orleans,  at  less  cost  than  a ton  of  freight  from 
San  Francisco,  either  by  the  central  or  southern  route. 

It  has  also  been  objected  to  the  northern  route  that  snow  and 
the  excessive  cold  weather  would  be  an  obstruction,  both  to  the 
building  and  the  running  of  the  road.  The  following  brief  sum- 
mary of  information  with  regard  to  this  matter  is  presented  to 
show  conclusively  that  these  objections  are  utterly  untenable. 


17 


The  passes  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  Hell  Gate,  Northern 
Little  Blackfoot,  and  Cadot’s  Pass  were  crossed  by  parties  em- 
ployed in  the  exploration  of  the  northern  route  in  the  months  of 
December,  January,  February  and  March,  in  the  years  1853-’4, 
and  in  no  one  of  these  passes  did  they  find  more  than  fifteen 
inches  of  snow.  In  the  winter  of  1854-5,  the  Flathead  Indians 
passed  through  these  passes  in  January,  February,  and  March  ; 
whole  tribes,  with  their  women  and  children,  and  their  pack  ani- 
mals laden  down  with  furs  and  meat.  Victor,  head  chief  of  the 
Flathead  nation,  states  that  since  the  memory  of  the  Indian, 
they  had  passed  these  mountains  year  after  year  through  the 
winter  months.  That  same  winter,  the  party  that  crossed  the 
Rocky  mountains  in  January,  went  down  Clark’s  Fork  in  Feb- 
ruary ; they  went  on  horseback,  the  sole  trouble  being  that  there 
were  some  places  where  the  snow  was  deep  enough  to  cover  up 
the  grass  ; but  in  these  cases  it  was  in  the  wooded  portions,  and 
2J  feet  was  the  greatest  depth. 

When  they  left  the  wooded  region  where  it  was  2J  feet  deep, 
and  came  to  the  open  prairie,  the  snow  had  entirely  disappeared. 
In  the  crossing  of  the  Cascade  mountains  to  Puget  sound,  made 
by  Mr.  Tinkham,  in  January,  1854,  the  snow  was  but  six  feet 
for  a short  distance.  At  Fort  Benton  and  Fort  Campbell,  on 
the  Upper  Missouri,  ever  since  they  were  established  some 
twenty-five  years  since,  the  fur  companies  have  taken  their  goods 
to  their  winter  trading  posts,  on  the  Milk  and  Marias  rivers,  in 
wagons,  there  not  being  snow  enough  for  sleds. 

It  is  obvious  there  can  be  no  serious  difficulty  on  the  northern 
route  from  snow.  Will  there  be  difficulty  from  excessive  cold 
weather  ? 

There  are  now'great  lines  of  railroad  in  operation  over  tracts 
of  country  as  cold,  and  even  colder,  than  the  route  from  Fort 
Benton  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  The  mean  winter  tempera- 
ture at  Fort  Benton,  in  1853-54,  was  25°. 38  above  zero.  The 
average  at  Montreal,  on  the  Grand  Trunk  railroad,  for  the  same 
year,  was  13°. 22,  and  for  a mean  of  ten  years  17°. 80,  above 
zero.  At  Quebec,  it  was,  in  1853-54,  11°. 03  above  zero,  and 
for  a mean  of  ten  years  13°. 30  above  zero.  On  the  great  Rus- 
sian railroad,  from  St.  Petersburg  to  Moscow,  the  comparison  is 
very  similar.  The  mean  winter  temperature  for  a series  of  twen- 
ty-one years,  at  Moscow,  is  15°. 20,  and  at  St.  Petersburg,  for  a 
mean  of  twenty-five  years,  18°. 10  above  zero. 

At  Fort  Snelling,  on  the  great  lines  through  Minnesota  from 
St.  Paul  to  Pembina,  and  from  St.  Paul  to  Breckenridge,  now 
actually  in  process  of  construction,  the  mean  winter  tempera- 
ture of  1853-’54  was  11°. 64,  and  the  mean  of  thirty-five  winters 
16°.  10  above  zero.  Thus  in  the  winter  of  1853-’54,  an  unu- 


18 


sually  cold  winter,  Fort  Benton  -was  15°  warmer  than  Mon- 
treal, 14°  warmer  than  Quebec,  11°  warmer  than  Fort  Snel- 
ling,  10°  warmer  than  Moscow,  and  7°  warmer  than  St.  Peters- 
burg. Looking  to  the  Bitter  Root  valley,  its  average  tempera- 
ture in  the  winter  of  1853-’54  was  24°. 90,  and  in  1854-’55, 
30°. 30  above  zero,  making  it  for  the  two  winters  respectively  10° 
and  15°  warmer  than  at  Moscow,  and  7°  and  12°  warmer  than  at 
St.  Petersburg.  In  1853-’54  it  was  12°  warmer  than  at  Mon- 
treal, and  14°  warmer  than  at  Quebec.  The  greatest  cold  in 
the  winter  of  1853-’54  was  29°  below  zero  at  Cantonment  Ste- 
vens. At  Fort  Snelling  it  was  36°,  at  Montreal  34°,  and  at 
Quebec  29°  below  zero,  from  which  it  is  seen  that  on  this  route, 
the  greatest  cold  is  not  equal  to  the  greatest  cold  on  the  route  of 
the  Grand  Trunk  railroad  of  Canada.  The  same  fact  is  unques- 
tionably true  of  the  great  artery  of  Russia  from  Moscow  to  St. 
Petersburg.  The  average  temperature  was  below  zero  twelve 
days  at  Fort  Benton,  ten  days  at  Cantonment  Stevens,  eighteen 
days  at  Fort  Snelling,  eighteen  days  at  Montreal,  and  twenty- 
three  days  at  Quebec.  Thus  there  were  more  cold  days  on  the 
line  of  the  Great  Trunk  railroad,  and  of  the  roads  in  Minnesota, 
than  on  this  northern  route.  Moreover,  at  Fort  Benton  the  ther- 
mometer was  forty-three  out  of  ninety  days,  and  at  Cantonment 
Stevens  thirty-two  out  of  ninety  days  above  the  freezing  point, 
against  only  six  days  out  of  ninety  at  Fort  Snelling,  five  days 
out  of  ninety  at  Quebec,  eight  days  out  of  ninety  at  Montreal, 
and  eighteen  days  out  of  ninety  at  Albany — all  in  the  winter  of 


1853-54. 


Indeed,  I doubt  not  that  the  blinding  sand  storms  on  the 
southern  route  would  be  a much  greater  obstacle  to  the  running 
of  the  cars  than  the  snow  storms  or  the  cold  on  the  northern 
route.  Now,  the  British  government  are  looking  to  an  overland 
communication  with  the  Pacific.  They  have  redeemed  British 
Columbia  from  the  vassalage  of  the  Hudson’s  Bay  rule,  and  are 
about  redeeming  the  Saskatchawan  country.  All  our  informa- 
tion goes  to  establish  the  fact  that  there  is  a very  large  scope  of 
arable  country  through  the  Saskatchawan  region,  and  we  know 
that  the  development  of  the  mineral  wealth  of  British  Columbia 
will  also  tend  to  develop  its  agricultural  resources.  The  British 
government  have  had  surveys  made  of  the  whole  country,  and 
British  capitalists — and  especially  those  of  the  Canadas — are 
filled  with  the  importance  of  establishing  their  overland  com- 
munication, and  doing  it  by  railroad  ; and  yet  the  British  gov- 
ernment is  not  in  the  condition  to  start  the  enterprise  within 
their  borders  that  we  are  to  do  it  within  ours.  We  are  in  ad- 
vance of  them  in  the  way  of  communications.  We  have  run 
steamers  both  up  the  Missouri  to  Fort  Benton,  and  up  the  Co- 


19 


lumbia  and  Snake  rivers  to  the  mouth  of  the  Palouse — the  dis- 
tance from  point  to  point  being  less  than  five  hundred  miles  on 
the  railroad  line.  The  wagon  road  in  charge  of  Lieut.  Mullan, 
now  in  process  of  construction  between  these  two  points,  will  be 
completed  during  the  present  season.  Moreover,  the  more  de- 
tailed surveys,  and  especially  the  line  of  spirit  levels  run  by 
Lieut.  Mullan  over  the  Coeur  d’Alene  or  Stevens’  Pass,  has  veri- 
fied the  information  previously  gained  and  reported  upon  by  me 
as  to  its  entire  practicability.  Our  railroads  are  stretching 
through  Minnesota  ; whereas  in  the  Canadas  their  railroads  have 
only  reached  Lake  Huron  and  the  St.  Clair  river.  They  are 
now  connecting  these  with  our  roads  running  through  Michigan, 
Illinois,  and  Wisconsin.  They  cannot  go  north  of  Lake  Su- 
perior ; the  country  has  been  examined,  and  has  been  found  to 
be  impracticable.  Their  only  alternative  is  to  make  use  of  our 
roads  until  they  reach  Pembina  on  the  frontier,  between  the  Red 
river  settlement  and  Minnesota,  and  then  connect  them  with  a 
system  of  their  own.  Will  they  take  this  course,  if  our  own 
government,  taking  time  by  the  forelock,  shall  determine  to  give 
the  necessary  aid  to  a road  crossing  the  47th  parallel,  and  reach- 
ing the  waters  of  the  Pacific  at  Puget  sound  ? On  the  contrary, 
will  they  not  help  us  ? Will  we  not  have  the  whole  force  of  the 
railroad  capital  and  enterprise  of  the  Canadas,  backed  up  by  the 
British  government,  to  assist  us  in  establishing  this  communica- 
tion ? Will  not  this  road  accommodate  British  Columbia?  By 
branches  from  the  great  plain  of  the  Columbia,  the  country  can 
be  reached  on  Thompson’s  and  Frazer’s  river.  Our  route  is 
more  feasible  than  theirs ; the  distance  is  shorter,  the  mountain 
passes  more  open,  the  agricultural  value  of  the  country  (at  least 
west  of  the  Rocky  mountains)  very  much  superior  ; and  this  is 
known  to  be  the  precise  feeling,  I am  credibly  informed,  of  all 
the  great  railroad  men  of  the  Canadas,  to  whose  enterprise  and 
forecast  we  owe  the  Grand  Trunk  road.  They  are  ready,  if  our 
people  start  the  movement,  to  join  hands  with  us  ; and  thus  this 
route,  so  far  from  being  an  extreme  northern  route,  is  the  cen- 
tral route  of  a vast  scope  of  country  having  natural  outlets  both 
on  the  Pacific  and  on  the  Atlantic,  and  is  the  central  route  of  a 
vast  system  of  railroads  having  invested  in  them  more  than  one- 
half  of  the  railroad  capital  of  this  continent.  Is  it  wise — is  it 
just — is  it  having  a proper  regard  for  the  future,  to  ignore  this 
northern  route,  and  to  throw  into  British  hands,  and  to  yield  to 
British  enterprise  the  great  commercial  development  of  the 
northwest  ? . 

But  let  us  take  a somewhat  larger  view  of  the  question  of 
national  defence  than  the  view  already  presented.  Lo  we  not 
require,  as  an  element  of  national  defence,  that  the  development 


20 


of  the  northwest  should  be  our  development — that  the  rising  city 
of  the  northwest  coast  should  be  in  our  borders,  south  of  the 
49th  parallel  ? Do  we  not  want  to  hold  in  our  hands  the  key  of 
the  trade  of  Asia  ? Is  it  not  our  interest  to  develope  the  fishe- 
ries and  the  lumber  business,  the  coal,  the  mines,  and  the  com- 
merce of  that  northwest?  Do  we  not  need  the  nursery  of  sea- 
men growing  out  of  such  development  ? Will  we  not  thus  get 
the  seeds  of  a great  navy  upon  that  coast  ? Will  we  not  have 
the  means  of  building  vessels  of  the  largest  class,  to  make  that 
coast  self-sustaining  in  all  the  means  and  facilities  of  a commer- 
cial and  naval  marine?  These  are  the  interests  involved  in  the 
great  overland  communication  by  the  northern  route ; and  this 
is,  emphatically,  a question  of  the  national  defence,  of  commercial 
superiority,  of  America  having  her  proper  position  among  the 
families  of  the  earth.  Or,  shall  we  fall  back  upon  the  old  selfish 
apothegm,  “Posterity  will  do  nothing  for  us,  and  therefore  we 
will  do  nothing  for  posterity  ?”  I therefore  hold  it  to  be  the 
duty  of  the  people  of  Oregon  and  Washington  to  insist  that  their 
commercial  advantages  and  position  shall  be  respected  by  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States,  in  any  system  which  it  may 
adopt  of  an  overland  communication  with  the  Pacific.  I do  pro- 
test against  Congress,  when  we  ask  for  bread,  giving  us  a stone. 
I protest  against  the  injustice  of  our  being  called  upon  utterly  to 
abandon  our  great  route, — utterly  to  abandon  all  idea  of  the 
commercial  supremacy  which  our  country  owes  it  to  itself  to  es- 
tablish upon  this  northwest  coast,  and  to  accept  instead  of  this, 
the  boon  of  a branch  communication.  It  is  my  deliberate  judg- 
ment that  it  will  be  vastly  more  difficult  for  us  to  establish  the 
branch  communication  provided  for  in  certain  bills,  than  to  es- 
tablish this  great  overland  communication  connecting  us  directly 
with  the  Mississippi  river,  with  the  great  lakes,  and  with  the  vast 
rail  road  system  of  the  St.  Lawrence  basin.  What  shall  be  the 
nature  of  the  branch  ? 

Senator  Wigfall’s  bill  proposes  a southern  and  a central 
route,  with  a branch  to  the  Columbia  river  or  Puget  Sound,  from 
the  nearest  practicable  point  on  that  route.  Now  it  is  altogether 
probable  that  the  central  route  will  go  through  the  Pike’s  Peak 
country.  The  people  of  Salt  Lake  and  Pike’s  Peak  urge  it ; the 
whole  population  of  that  portion  of  the  interior,  and  the  people 
of  Nevada  will  be  satisfied  with  it.  Its  distance  will  be  two  hun- 
dred miles  shorter  than  by  the  South  Pass.  If  there  be  no  en- 
gineering difficulties  in  the  way,  it  must  go  through  Pikes’  Peak  ; 
and  our  branch  will  be  a branch,  not  from  the  south  pass,  but  via 
the  Sacramento  and  the  Willamette  rivers ; but  in  either  event 
it  will  be  purely  a local  affair.  There  will  be  no  great  interest 
to  assist  us.  We  will  have  to  build  it  with  our  own  means,  and 


21 


with  little  or  no  assistance  from  others.  The  whole  energies  of 
the  people  of  California  will  be  strained  to  establish  their  own 
communication.  But  the  northern  route  will  be  a national  route. 
We  will  have  not  merely  our  own  feeble  force,  but  in  addition,  that 
of  the  vast  communities  of  our  northern  states  and  of  the  Cana- 
das, and  of  the  many  hundreds  of  millions  of  railroad  capital 
there  invested.  We  will  have  aid  from  Europe.  There  will  be 
the  strongest  influence  to  push  the  road  through  ; and  if  the  ob- 
ject be  to  get  a branch  connecting  with  San  Francisco,  we  will 
find  the  key  to  its  solution  in  the  northern  route. 

ESTIMATE  OF  COST. 


The  estimate  of  cost  of  road  is  not  given  for  the  distance  east 
from  Breckinridge,  on  the  western  boundary  of  Minnesota,  to 
which  point  the  Minnesota  and  Pacific  Railroad  Company  have 
located  a road  under  the  recent  grants  of  Congress.  Their  route 
crosses  the  Mississippi  near  the  falls  of  St.  Anthony,  does  not 
deflect  more  than  27  miles  at  any  point  from  an  air  line,  and 
saves  20  miles  in  distance  over  my  surveyed  routes.  Moreover, 
with  means  at  hand,  it  can  be  built  for  less  than  my  estimate  of 
$25,000  per  mile,  viz:  for  about  $21,000  or  $22,000  per  mile. 


Estimate  of  cost  of  road  from  Breckenridge  to  Seattle , via  Fort 
Union , Fort  Benton , Cadotte  s Pass,  Coeur  d'Alene  or  Stevens 
Pass , Coeur  d'Alene  Mission , north  of  the  Coeur  dAlene  Lake , 
and  the  Snoqualmoo  Pass , using  the  long  tunnel.  Entire  dis- 
tance,, 1, £>44.51  miles. 


Breckenridge  to  crossing  of  Milk  river 

Crossing  of  Milk  river  to  point  of  departure 

from  Box  Elder 

Thence  to  Fort  Benton 

Fort  Benton  to  entrance  to  tunnel 

Short  tunnel,  5,640  feet,  at  $120  per  foot 

Tunnel,  22,123  feet,  at  $130  per  foot 

Thence  to  crossing  of  Hell-Gate 

Thence  to  crossing  of  Bitter  Root 

Thence  1o  entrance  into  tunnel 

Tunnel,  1.6  miles,  at  $130  per  foot 

West  end  of  tunnel  to  Coeur  dAlene  Mis’n 
Thence  to  point  beyond  cross’g  of  Spokane 

Thence  to  fork  of  line  to  Vancouver 

Thence  to  crossing  of  Columbia 

Thence  to  entrance  to  long  tunnel 

Long  tunnel,  11,840  yards,  or  6f  miles, 

about  $140  per  ft.  or  $420  per  yard 

Thence  to  Seattle 


Miles. 

Per  mile. 

712 

$40,000 

$28,480,000 

30 

40,000 

1,200,000 

514 

80,000 

4,120,000 

102.2 

70,000 

7,154,000 

316,800 

4.190 

2,875,990 

91.86 

60,000 

5,511,600 

65 

50,000 

3,250,000 

35 

60,000 

2,100,000 

1.6 

1,098,240 

484 

60,000 

2.910.000 

4.230.000 

704 

60,000 

91.25 

45,000 

4,106,250 

20 

45,000 

900,000 

138.25 

50,000 

6,912,500 

6.75 

6,000,000 

75 

60,000 

4,500,000 

543.60 

$84,665,380 

1,500,000 

Total  length  in  miles 

Steamers  on  the  Missouri  and  Columbia 


22 


Reservoirs,  aqueducts,  &c 2,000,000 

Depots  and  permanent  fixtures 1,750,000 

Engineering  and  contingencies 5,000,000 


§94,915,380 

The  cost  of  the  short  tunnel  will  be,  4,000  yards, 

or  2.247  miles,  at  $390  per  yard $1,560,000 

Add  4^  miles  of  road  and  difficult  work,  at  $100,000  450,000 


$2,010,000 

Total  cost  of  short  tunnel 2,990,000 


$91,925,380 


Estimate  of  cost  of  road  from  Breckinridge  to  Vancouver , via 
Fort  Union , Fort  Benton . Cadotte  s Pass , Coeur  d'Alene  or 
Stevens’  Pass , Coeur  d’ AlSne  Mission,  north  of  the  Coeur 
d’  Alene  Lake,  and  the  Dalles.  Entire  distance , 1,526.60  miles. 


From  Breckinridge  to  fork  of  line  to  Van- 
couver, as  by  A 

Thence  to  crossing  of  Columbia 

Thence  to  Dalles 

Thence  to  Vancouver 


Steamers  on  the  Missouri  and  Columbia, 

Reservoirs,  aqueducts,  &c 

Depots  and  permanent  fixtures 

Engineering  and  contingencies 


Miles. 

Per  mile. 

1,303.60 

$67,352,880 

20 

$45,000 

900  000 

113 

60,000 

6,780.000 

90 

100,000 

9,000,000 

$84,032,880 

1.500.000 
2,000,000 

1.750.000 
5,000,000 


1,526.60 


$94,282,880 


Estimate  of  cost  of  branch  road  from  Vancouver  to  Seattle. 


From  Vancouver  to  Seattle,  172  miles,  at  $50,000  per  mile $8,600,000 

Depots 150,000 

Total  cost  of  road $8,750,000 


Recapitulation  of  cost  of  road  from  Breckinridge  to  Seattle,  with 
a branch  road  to  Vancouver , and  a branch  road  from  Van- 
couver to  Seattle. 

Miles. 

From  Breckinridge  to  Seattle 1.543.60 

Branch  to  Vancouver 223.00 

Branch  from  Vancouver  to  Seattle 172.00 


$94,915,380 

16,930,000 

8,750,000 


$120,595,380 


In  this  paper  I have  preferred  not  to  encumber  it  with  tables 
showing  in  detail  the  advantages  as  to  distance  of  the  northern 
route  over  any  route  in  the  British  possessions,  and  that  by  the 
South  Pass,  and  the  greater  nearness  of  its  termini  both  to  Asiatic 
and  European  ports.  These  tables  are  given  in  my  address  on 
the  northwest  which  accompanies  this  communication,  and  also 
tables  showing  in  much  detail  the  significant  facts  of  the  several 
routes,  as  distances,  both  lineal  and  equated,  summit  levels  eleva- 
tions above  the  sea,  sum  of  ascents  and  descents,  cost,  &c.  It 
will  be  seen,  that  the  sum  of  ascents  and  descents  is  much  the 
smallest  on  the  northern  route. 

It  must  constantly  be  borne  in  mind  that  an  enterprise  of  the 
magnitude  and  character  of  the  Pacific  railroad,  cannot  be  really 
taken  in  hand  and  the  work  of  construction  commenced,  except 
upon  the  most  accurate  and  minute  information.  The  surveys 
thus  far  have  been  for  the  most  part  reconnaissances.  It  is  not 
certain  that  on  any  route  the  best  passes  have  been  ascertained. 
This  fact  appears  very  clearly  in  the  proceedings  of  the  railroad 
convention  at  San  Francisco  as  regards  the  passes  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  which  come  into  competition  on  the  central  route.  So 
on  the  northern  route.  The  explorations  of  the  mountain  regions 
would  have  to  be  extended  and  comparative  reconnaissances 
made  of  the  several  passes  to  ascertain  the  most  favorable  one — 
which  done,  the  intermediate  connections  could  be  established 
and  the  work  of  location  commenced.  In  my  judgment,  full  two 
years  would  be  required  to  execute  properly  this  work  of  recon- 
naissance and  location,  and  to  attain  that  exact  information  re- 
quired to  make  a detailed  estimate  of  the  cost.  The  engineer 
must  know  the  cubic  yards  of  excavation  in  rock  and  earth, 
the  cubic  yards  of  earth  embankment,  of  masonry  of  the  seve- 
ral kinds,  of  culverts,  bridges,  aqueducts,  clearing  through  tim- 
ber, drainage,  the  precise  localities  from  which  materials  can 
be  procured  to  the  best  advantage,  the  cost  of  delivery  of  the 
same,  &c.,  before  he  is  able  to  arrive  at  just  conclusions  as  to  the 
probable  cost  of  the  road. 

In  this  connexion  it  may  not  be  improper  to  observe  that  the 
Pacific  railroad  is  being  worked  out  by  the  agencies  now  in 
operation.  Local  roads  are  advancing,  and  diminishing  the  dis- 
tance to  be  overcome.  With  protection  to  our  citizens  from  In- 
dian disturbances,  with  opening  communications,  and  the  over- 
land mail,  every  day  is  rapidly  preparing  facilities  to  undertake, 
and  the  business  to  render  remunerative,  the  Pacific  railroad. 
If  two  years  could  now  be  devoted  to  a thorough  examination  of 
the  several  routes  to  locate  roads,  and  ascertain  the  actual  cost, 
it  would  afford  Congress  and  the  people  of  the  country  informa- 
tion on  which  intelligent  action  could  be  had. 


24 


In  conclusion,  I will  express  the  hope  that  the  convention 
may  be  well  attended,  and  that  its  proceedings  may  show  that 
the  people  of  Oregon  and  Washington  are  not  unmindful  of  their 
true  interests  and  the  exigencies  of  the  country,  in  their  con- 
sideration of  the  greatest  practical  enterprise  of  the  age,  the 
Pacific  Railroad. 

Very  respectfully. 

ISAAC  I.  STEVENS. 


i 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


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